Le Pin, Pomerol 1982 Bordeaux, France

Le Pin seemed to burst into view overnight.

A legend because…

The first vintage made by Jacques Thienpont had been in 1979, and was sold cheaply. Before then the wine had been sold extensively in Belgium, but was not widely known. Once the outstanding quality of the 1982 was recognised, notably thanks to Parker’s perfect score, prices shot up on the secondary market.

Looking back

In 1982, Le Pin consisted of a single hectare, next to a pine tree. Jacques Thienpont, from a Belgian family with extensive interests in the wine trade in Bordeaux, had recognised the quality of the soil some years earlier. The original idea was to incorporate the parcel into Vieux Château Certan close by, but when that didn’t work out, Jacques and his father and uncle contrived to buy the vineyard in 1979; it later fell into Jacques’ ownership, with a small share being held by Alexandre Thienpont of Vieux Château Certan. In 1984 Jacques was able to buy a second hectare, but today the total area under vine still stands at a modest 2.7ha.

The vintage